Father Jumps to His Death from N.J. Bridge with His 2 Children, Ages 1 and 3, in His Arms

A father is dead after jumping off of a New Jersey highway bridge with his two children, leaving the kids seriously injured, PEOPLE confirms.

John Spincken, 37, of Pequannock, leaped from an overpass on Monday night and into a wooded area near the Wanaque River while holding his two young sons, a New Jersey State Police spokesman confirms to PEOPLE. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The children were taken to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson where “they are being treated for serious, but non-life-threatening injuries,” the spokesman confirms.

Troopers responded to the scene on Interstate 287 just after 8 p.m. when police “were notified that a suicidal man may have jumped from the Wanaque Bridge with his two sons after he was involved in a domestic dispute in Pequannock Township,” officials said in a statement on Tuesday.

It is unclear why the man jumped, but authorities said that the act was intentional.

The children were 1 and 3 years old, police announced. And CBS reports that the father managed to get past an eight-foot fence before jumping at least 20 feet off the bridge.

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The children’s mother told police that she got into an argument with her husband and he threatened to hurt their children, according to CBS.

He then took them away in his white sport-utility vehicle, according to the station.

His car was found near the bridge. The incident is under investigation.

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